Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko[b] (born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyz and Peruvian professional mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer.

[19][11] Her father, Anatoly Shevchenko, served in the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy for three years during the Cold War, and played for the Kyrgyzstan national football team.

Her kickboxing career began in 2000 when, also at age 12, she knocked out a 22-year-old opponent, earning her the moniker "Bullet" from her trainer Pavel Fedotov because of her speed in the ring.

Shevchenko earned an undergraduate degree in Film Directing from the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Competing in regional Kyrgiz, Russian and Korean promotions she went undefeated in her next 6 fights, winning all of them via a first-round finish, before deciding to take a hiatus from MMA in 2006 to focus on her Muay Thai and kickboxing career.

[35] She returned to active competition and made her US debut against a future UFC title contender Liz Carmouche on September 30, 2010, at C3 Fights in Concho, Oklahoma.

Despite dominating her opponent for the majority of the first round, Shevchenko suffered her first loss after a controversial doctor stoppage due to a large cut caused by an illegal upkick.

She made her return again in 2013 under the banner of a South American MMA promotion Fusion FC, where she earned two TKO wins with a turnaround of just two months between the fights.

[46] Joanna Jędrzejczyk offered to replace Nunes, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission could not clear her on such short notice.

[82] On February 9, 2024, it was announced that Shevchenko and Grasso would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 32 on ESPN+, which would feature contestants from the middleweight and featherweight divisions.

[84] With nearly 15 minutes of control time, she won by dominant unanimous decision, becoming the only 2-time UFC Women's Flyweight Champion in the process.

[85] Shevchenko made her professional boxing debut on May 8, 2010, at Coliseo Marotta in Callao, Peru against a more experienced Brazilian boxer Halanna dos Santos.

Shevchenko fought from a traditional kickboxing stance and used Muay Thai techniques and grappling tactics multiple times during the match, but wasn't penalized by the referee despite the numerous complaints from her opponent.

[86] The following year, it was announced that Shevchenko will be fighting the boxing champion Melissa Hernandez for her WIBA Lightweight belt.

Lightweight fighter and multiple-time boxing champion Ann Saccurato stepped in to fight Shevchenko for the vacated WIBA title, but the event was eventually canceled.

[87] On December 17, 2011, Shevchenko faced Nerys Rincon at Pueblo Libra Reserclub in Lima, Peru.

Like in her professional debut, she largely fought in a kickboxing stance and frequently used Muay Thai grappling, which Rincon unsuccessfully protested on many occasions during the match.

[86] It was announced that Shevchenko would face a decorated boxer Mary McGee for the vacant WIBA Lightweight championship title on January 14, 2012, in Lima, Peru.

[90][91] In a 2017 interview, Shevchenko noted the challenges of perfecting this technique in mixed martial arts: "It's different to fight a wrestler and stand-up fighter.

[90][91][93] In addition to her striking, Shevchenko is also a highly skilled grappler and has a black belt in Judo, as demonstrated by her multiple take-downs against Holly Holm, Jéssica Andrade and Alexa Grasso (having averaged at least 4 takedowns in every one of their fights), her armbar submission of Julianna Peña, and her rear-naked choke submission over Priscila Cachoeira.

[45][94] In 2013, Shevchenko was a contestant on the fourth season of the Peruvian dance and competition reality show Combate broadcast by ATV.

She placed first in the competition together with her dance partner, South American reality television star Alejandro “Zumba” Benitez.

[95] In one of the episodes, she took part in an exhibition wrestling match against Peruvian professional middleweight boxer David Zegarra, which she won by submission in less than a minute.

[103] Shevchenko appears in the 2020 Netflix sports drama Bruised directed by and starring Halle Berry,[104] in which Shevchenko plays the role of Lucia "Lady Killer" Chavez, an Argentinian MMA champion and the main rival of Berry's character, Jackie Justice.